Shipment of Bell peppers contains 13,700 pounds of marijuana

May 17, 2017

U.S. Customs & Border Protection officers at the Port of Nogales recently seized $6.85 million of marijuana commingled with a shipment of Bell peppers.

Officers at the Mariposa Commercial Facility referred a tractor-trailer carrying the peppers, and the 46-year-old Mexican male driver, for further inspection. When the commodity was off-loaded, a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to an odor it was trained to detect.

Subsequently, officers discovered and removed more than 13,700 pounds of marijuana.

The narcotics and vehicle involved were seized, and the driver was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.